Dear Forum Members:

The following is a press release that I am posting on behalf of The Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts. Please note that in addition to the award
ceremony for Richard Pryor, there will be a number of free panels and
lectures, including "Mark Twain: America's Greatest Satirist,"  by Dr.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin.

For further information about Richard Pryor and the Mark Twain Prize visit
The Kennedy Center web site at:

http://kennedy-center.org/press/twainfeature.html

-- Kevin B.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FIRST KENNEDY CENTER CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN HUMOR COMEDY EVENTS: FREE
PERFORMANCES, LECTURES AND ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS

Before celebrity guests collect to celebrate noted comedian Richard Pryor's
acceptance of the first-ever Mark Twain Prize Tuesday, October 20, 1998,
the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will host featured
comedians on its Millennium Stage-as well as lectures and roundtable
discussions. Each event will entertain as well as educate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday, October 18
6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
FREE > > >

Performance: Greg Fitzsimmons (host), Julie Barr, William Troxler, and the
Sklar Brothers
No tickets required

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday, October 19
6 p.m.
Millennium Stage
FREE > > >

Performance: Greg Fitzsimmons (host), Julie Barr, Mike Diesel, and Jay
Phillips
No tickets required

~~~~~~~~
Monday, October 19
8:30 p.m.
Encore Caf‚
FREE > > >

Comedy Showcase: Kate Clinton (host), Greg Fitzsimmons, William Troxler,
Brett Leake, Coca Brown, Julie Barr, and the Sklar Brothers. (An Education
Department event.)

NOTE: All tickets have already been distributed

~~~~~~~~~
Monday, October 19
7:15 p.m.
Education Resource Center
FREE
No tickets required

"Comedy as Social Commentary: The Legacy of Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, and
Will Rogers"

National Public Radio's Murray Horwitz leads a discussion with a
multifaceted panel including Kate Clinton, America's premiere "fumerist"
(that's shorthand for feminist+ humorist); Richard Belzer, the star of
NBC-TV series "Homicide: Life On The Street," and a veteran stand-up comic,
talk show host, and author; Peter Kaminsky, founder of _National Lampoon_;
and Mel Watkins, reporter for The New York Times and author of such
acclaimed books as _On the Real Side: Laughing_,_Lying and Signifying, and
The Underground Tradition of American Humor That Transformed from Slavery
to Richard Pryor_.

(A Performance Plus(tm) event.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, October 20
6:30 p.m.
Education Resource Center
FREE
No tickets required

"Mark Twain: America's Greatest Satirist"

Shelley Fisher Fishkin, president of the Mark Twain Circle of America, will
share her insights and deep knowledge of the towering American humorist
Mark Twain. She is the award-winning author of _ Was Huck Black? Mark Twain
and African-American Voices_;_From Fact to Fiction: Journalism and
Imaginative Writing in America_; and most recently _Lighting Out for the
Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture_ . Immediately
following the lecture there will be a book signing.

(A Performance Plus(tm) event.)


~~~~~
Tuesday, October 20
8 p.m.
Concert Hall

The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize, presented to Richard Pryor


~~~~~~

The Millennium Stage was created and underwritten by James A. Johnson and
Maxine Isaacs to make the performing arts accessible to everyone in
fulfillment of the Kennedy Center's mission to its community and the
nation. These daily, free concerts are brought to you by washingtonpost.com
and the Fannie Mae Foundation, with additional funding provided by the
Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and the D.C. Commission on the Arts
and Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Kennedy Center's Performance Plus(tm) program offers adults a unique
opportunity to come face-to-face with the world's most talented artists,
catch a glimpse backstage, learn more about an art form, realize a new
interest or delve further into a familiar one. There are more than 80
events each year geared to the exploration of ballet, theater, music and
dance. There is a Performance Plus(tm) for every taste and budget. Many
activities are even free. For more information please call (202) 467-4600.

For more information about the Kennedy Center please visit our web site at
http://kennedy-center.org.

For further information call:

(202) 467-4600
(800) 444-1324
TTY (Hearing Impaired) (202) 416-8524